Living Abroad

I was lucky enough to go to a concert the other night in the city I live in (almost to be past tense in a few short days), Kornwestheim. I sort of understood some of the songs even though it was mostly in German. Interesting. The more I live here and actually TRY to pick up the language, the more I am doing just that! Of course I am not remotely fluent in any sense of the word but I totally understand certain words which makes my stay better. My colleagues have also been amazing in helping me pronounce words and say things correctly but it is shocking that I can say some words all on my own. It is good to note that Germans pronounce every letter in a word, no matter how long (and damn, some words are ridiculously long) it happens to be.

Here are a few pics of my time at the concert.

I have to admit that I didn't stay too long as

Sunday found me up kinda eary and out in the door in search of greenery, animals and fresh air. Fresh air is plentiful in this part of Germany so that was a no brainer. I found animals at the Wilhelma Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Before getting to the zoo, I took a bit of a detour and walked in this huge park overlooking Neckar Park. I was able to think about a few things that are going on in my life now and about my future. Nothing was really resolved but I managed to clear my head, enjoy a solitary walk and take some pictures of Swabish countryside.

Before I got the zoo, I happened upon Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Rosenstein. Totally unexpected and was just okay in its magnificence. It was just a hause to me, nothing too important looking.

Next was the Wilhelma. I don't usually like zoo's as I am not too interested in seeing animals in cages but it was not that bad here. Also, they had a gorgeous botanical garden full of flowers and plants some of which I have never seen before.

After walking around for a few hours, I called it quits to the zoo and headed to Neckar Park for some looking around. It was a soothing, calming time. Very lovely park. Great morning and midday outing.

Whatever, my new favorite drink of choice is Bulmbers cider. It is not beer but it sure will get you to a "mild" state really quickly.

I love it! Bulmers, my new bestest friend. I can always get away with drinking this brew instead of bier here. Great drink without all the beery aftertaste.

While here, I really wanted to not only learn as much of the German culture as I could but to also be a part of it. I didn't only want to a tourist or visitor. One of my missions was to emerse myself in the German culture as much as possible so that my time here would be more productive and interesting.

A few weeks ago, I posted a few things I had noticed about the peoples of Germany and today, I will update more. These are not merely observations but facts about the country that most or many people may not know about.

-wedding rings are worn on the third finger of the right hand
-saying hile hitler and doing the hand sign is illegal (when my friend was telling me this tidbit, she didn't even do to show me for effect. It is a big thing here)
-Citizens pay a tax of some sort to rebuild Berlin. This has been going on basically since the end of the war and some people are not impresed, to say the least
-Citizens who belong to a religious denomination have to pay a tay to keep their standing. This is especially necessary if one wants to get married one day in a church, for instance
-The official language is German but each region/state has its own dialect which is very different and distinctive
-The more north you go, the flatter the landscape
-Sex and anything related to sex is widely accepted and expected. Finding very sexy magazines at all and any store is the norm and no one blinks an eye at the very provocative photos. I find this is true for all of the European cities I have visited
-I was told that people in the army are not respected as they are seen as creating and perpetuating violence and unrest
-Germans have the lowest birth rate in the world (and from living here I can say this is a big truth)
-school are subdivided into Realschule, gymnasium, Hauptschule and comprehensive school
-The way the school system is structured is kinda old school. At least one parent must go home early or leave work early to take care of the child(ren) due to the structure of the educational system. Of course, most times it is the women.
-I can always tell all the mothers at work. They are the ones who either come in after lunch or leave at lunch or a bit after in order to see to the children. This is unfair as some women have worked hard on their career and it is almost like you have to give it up in order to be a mother. Not fair.
-Kids as young as 16 years old start off their "training time" at work places. The schedule is usually 3 days at work and 2 days at school to complete the practical and theoretical aspects of education (if university or further education is not a wanted option). training time lasts for 3 years.
-You can sleep when you are dead is a huge saying here and one I love and have embraced
-Sports are a huge and important part of German life and culture. Fütbol is of course the most popular making handball and volleyball second and thirds
-Germans work very hard but (at least to me) play harder.